EMMA Thompson has reunited with a Love Actually and Nanny McPhee co-star for a new show 22 years after the iconic Christmas film’s release.
The heavyweight actors play married private investigators in new Apple TV+ thriller Down Cemetery Road, which sees them drawn into the mysterious disappearance of five-year-old Dinah.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Emma Thompson has reunited with an old co-star in Apple TV+ series Down Cemetery RoadCredit: AlamyThe two play husband and wife in the all-new thriller
Joe, played by Adam Godley, is tasked with investigating the disappearance which follows a fatal explosion linked to the Ministry of Defence.
In an intriguing first episode, Joe is believed to have taken his own life shortly after accepting the case, and Zoe is seen in a morgue where she identifies her spouse’s lifeless body.
Adam, 61, spoke to UPI about his connection with Emma.
“I’ve known Emma slightly for a while, so that was something we could already invest in their relationship and it helped us.
“She’s a glorious human being and a mighty impressive actor and, so, any time I spend with Emma is a good time.”
While filming the aforementioned morgue scene, Adam revealed he laid almost naked underneath a sheet in a cold room with his feet poking out the end.
Highlighting his co-star’s kind nature, he said: “To give you a sense of who Emma is, Emma was standing at the foot of the slab and she noticed my feet were poking out from under the blanket and she assumed my feet would be quite cold, so she just tucked them underneath her jumper, pressed them against her belly to keep them warm.”
In Love Actually, Adam played Mr Trench – a small role in a memorable scene at the end of the film.
Mr Trench leads the Christmas choir which features smitten schoolboy Sam drumming in a bid to impress popular classmate Joanne.
Emma played stay-at-home mum Karen in the film whose heart is broken on Christmas Eve when she discovers her husband has bought his secretary expensive jewellery instead of her.
Three years later, they both starred in Nanny McPhee, with Emma in the lead role as the magical disciplinarian who transforms the lives of the kids in her charge.
Adam played the vicar who officiates a chaotic wedding at the film’s climax.
Adam Godley plays private investigator Joe in Down Cemetery RoadCredit: AlamyEmma starred opposite Alan Rickman in Love ActuallyCredit: AlamyAdam played choir leader Mr Trench in the Christmas classicCredit: Alamy
While in Israeli detention, Palestinian photojournalist Shadi Abu Sido was told his wife and children had been killed in Gaza. But when he was released under the ceasefire deal, he discovered they were alive.
Oct. 9 (UPI) — After 46 years of searching, 64-year-old María Soto was reunited with her twin daughters, María Laura and Valeska, who were given up for adoption without her consent in 1979 when they were 8 months old.
Because of their low weight, the girls had been admitted to a state institution. But when Soto went to retrieve them, she was told her daughters had been adopted by an Italian couple.
The case became public a few weeks ago, highlighting the work of the Hijos y Madres del Silencio Foundation (Children and Mothers of Silence), which searches for Chilean children who were illegally taken. The twins are numbers 319 and 320 of children the Foundation has successfully reunited with their families.
They were able to reunite thanks to the efforts of one of Soto’s Italian grandsons, who knew his mother had been born in Chile. He sought help from Hijos y Madres del Silencio, which then contacted Soto.
Marisol Rodríguez, founder and president of the Children and Mothers of Silence Foundation, told UPI that between the 1950s and 1990s, an estimated 45,000-plus Chilean children were illegally adopted abroad.
The foundation has worked for more than 11 years to reunite families. Its team cross-checks information in databases, reviews court records and requests DNA tests from those searching for relatives.
The idea grew out of her Rodriguez’s experience. In 1972, her mother was told that her newborn daughter had died, but she was never given the body and there was no record of her pregnancy. It turned out the baby had been adopted in Germany, and the mother and daughter did not reunite until 2014.
“We thought there were just a few other cases. We never realized the scale of what had happened,” Rodríguez said. She explained that over time, more cases began to surface of children searching for their mothers and mothers searching for their children.
Initial information suggested that about 20,000 children had been taken, but Alejandro Aguilar, the judge handling irregular adoption cases in Chile’s courts, said that in 1983 alone, 23,000 children were sent abroad, according to Rodríguez.
“There could have been more than 40,000 children who were sent abroad, plus others who were adopted illegally within the country and remained in Chile,” she said.
Today, more than 306 people are searching for their biological origins, and 504 families are looking for children with the help of the foundation.
According to collected records, the child-trafficking network that operated in Chile charged as much as $30,000 for each child placed in an illegal adoption. Most of the children were sent to Europe — to countries that included Italy, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and France — but cases have also been identified in the United States.
“It is estimated there are about 8,000 cases in that country, but now many people are afraid of being deported and don’t want to file a report. That’s why the number of people searching for their families is much smaller. Others don’t want to file a legal complaint because they don’t want to admit it was an illegal adoption,” Rodríguez said.
Although there are reports of illegal adoptions as early as the 1950s, the peak occurred during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
“In Chile, there was a state policy, but it was not directly tied to political repression as it was in Argentina, where women had their children taken while they were detained,” she said.
She added that documents show many children were sent to public childcare centers because their mothers were poor. But as those institutions struggled financially, the children were sold to families abroad.
Rodriguez said state agents “took part in these crimes and acted systematically in crimes against humanity.”
“We are talking about the forced disappearance of children. The state must apologize to the mothers and the children — and it must do so quickly, because the mothers are dying,” she said. “I have mothers who are 88 years old, and some have already passed away. They did not give away or sell their children.”
Chilean courts are investigating possible crimes of irregular adoption, child abduction and other offenses in more than 1,500 complaints.
“In just five months, Judge Aguilar has already detained 15 people and is seeking the extradition of one individual in Israel,” she said.
According to Chile’s judiciary, the investigation has so far concluded that in the 1980s, in the city of San Fernando, a network of lawyers, Catholic priests, members of social organizations, health officials and a judge arranged the adoption of children “whose mothers were poor to foreign couples in exchange for payments that could reach up to $50,000.”
Stacey Solomon was joined by her ex-boyfriend Dean Cox on the latest episode of her BBC series Stacey & Joe, as they celebrated her son Zach’s 17th birthday
Stacey Solomon shares her eldest son Zach with her ex
Stacey Solomon showed a lovely example of a happy blended family on the latest instalment of her reality TV show as her ex, and father of her eldest son, made a cameo on screen.
The 35-year-old mum-of-five used first-born son Zach’s 17th birthday to recall on the moment she found out she was expecting him at the age is he now and how her loved ones reacted to her teen pregnancy.
The BBC One series, Stacey & Joe, which also stars the Loose Women star’s husband Joe Swash, follows the happy couple and their busy lives. Stacey shares her three youngest children, daughters Rose, three, and Belle, two, and son Rex, six, with the former EastEnders actor.
Stacey, who discovered she was expecting her first child at the age of 17, also shares Zach with ex boyfriend Dean Cox, and 12-year-old Leighton with former fiancé Aaron Barnham.
On Tuesday night’s episode of Stacey & Joe, the pair invited Dean into their home to mark Zach turning 17. As the blended family enjoyed fish and chips they looked back on when Stacey discovered she was pregnant at the same age Zach had just reached.
When asked how old he was at the time, Dean responded: “I was just 18.” Speaking about learning she was set to become a teenage mum when she was 17, Stacey recalled: “My step-mum was the first person who knew I was pregnant, because she guessed it.
“We were at a cafe, me, her and my dad, and I was like, ‘oh, my God, your onions stink, Dad’. And he didn’t even have any onions. Someone, like, at the other end of the cafe had onions, and I remember her pulling me to the side and being like, ‘When was the last time you had a period?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.'”.
“She immediately made me tell my dad straight away. And then my dad made me ring my mum, and then everyone else that was in the house, Jemma, Matthew, everyone, my brothers and sisters, were all there to hear the fallout.”
Tuesday night’s instalment of Stacey & Joe was actually filmed back in March, coinciding with Zach’s real birthday. The doting mum took to Instagram at the time to celebrate her son’s 17th birthday with an emotional tribute to her first-born.
Stacey has previously spoken about the ‘rocky road’ she and husband Joe faced when blending their families. In addition to Stacey’s two older children from previous relationships, Joe shares his eldest child Harry, 16, with ex-partner Emma Sophocleous.
“The blended family situation has been a rocky road,” Stacey admitted on the Parenting Hell podcast in 2022. “That has never been easy. We have always had to work really hard to make sure everyone feels secure.”
She went on to reveal how wedding a few months earlier, where her and Joe’s four eldest son’s made speeches, made her feel more reassured about her blended family and confessed the kind words from their children left her in floods of tears.
“It was so funny we didn’t say to the boys you need to do a speech,” she recalled, before adding: “Joe was an emotional mess the whole day. People coming up to me saying ‘Joe is a mess down there’.”
Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah (C) embraces his mother, Laila Soueif, (L) and his sister Sanaa Seif (R) at home in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday after his release following a presidential pardon by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Photo by EPA
Sept. 23 (UPI) — Human rights activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was reunited with his family late Monday, after more than five years’ imprisonment, according to his family and supporting organizations.
Fattah, who holds both British and Egyptian citizenship, has spent a collective of more than 10 years behind Egyptian bars and was widely considered the Middle Eastern country’s most prominent political prisoner.
Fattah, along with five others, received pardons from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday, according to state media.
Mona Seif, one of Fattah’s two sisters, took to X to broadcast updates on the situation, starting with hearing the news, then preparing to leave work and finally posting pictures of her brother embracing family members.
“An exceptionally kind day,” she said. “Alaa is free.”
Reporters Without Borders, which has campaigned for his release, said in a statement that Fattah was reunited with his mother, Laila Soueif, and other sister Sanaa Seif late Monday.
“We are deeply relieved to see Alaa Abdel Fattah finally walk free,” Fiona O’Brien, RSF UK director, said in a statement.
“What he and his family have been through is unimaginable: he should never have gone to prison, and his family should never have had to mount a years-long international campaign to free him. His pardon and release must mark a definitive end to their ordeal and, after so many lost years, he must be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom to be reunited with his son Khaled.”
Fattah, who rose to international recognition during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, has been repeatedly arrested in Egypt over the years.
In 2013, three months after el-Sisi’s coup, he was arrested, charged with the organization of a protest and then sentenced to five years behind bars.
He was released in 2019, but was then arrested shortly afterward.
He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in 2021 on the charges of “spreading false news,” according to the U.S. State Department. Reporters Without Borders said he was charged with an arbitrary offense of spreading false news for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egyptian prisons.
The Free Alaa website states his sentence was to have ended last September of last year but he was still detained by the authorities.
“Alaa Abdel Fattah is a prisoner of conscience who was targeted for his peaceful activism,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, said in a statement.
“His pardon will not erase the ordeal he has endured in detention over the past six years. The Egyptian authorities should follow up on today’s decision by releasing all those solely detained for exercising their human rights and allowing them to reunite with their loved ones.”
Death in Paradise actor Kris Marshall has been spotted on the set of BBC drama Beyond Paradise with a familiar face, who starred in the crime series with him
Outlander star Colin McFarlane has been spotted on the Beyond Paradise set, sending fans into a frenzy of excitement.
A photograph was enthusiastically posted on a Facebook fan group devoted to the programme.
Beaming widely, the actor was photographed alongside a devoted fan, dressed in dark brown trousers and a white vest, topped with a checked shirt.
A microphone could be seen clipped to Colin’s vest, suggesting filming was underway.
In a second picture, Colin appears with Kris Marshall, who plays lead detective Humphrey Goodman. This time, he appears seemingly in full costume, wearing a green gilet over his checked shirt while clutching what appears to be gardening gloves.
Meanwhile, Kris was casually attired in a white vest, navy trousers, and brown shoes as they wandered about the filming location.
Colin has appeared in Death in Paradise(Image: BBC)
The fan who shared the snap cheekily observed: “Kris in his best togs,” according to the Express.
While the behind-the-scenes shots thrilled viewers, some eagle-eyed supporters quickly noticed a fascinating connection—Colin had previously appeared in Death in Paradise.
Colin starred in the sixth episode of Death in Paradise’s fourth series, playing the character Anton Burrage, where Kris’s DI Goodman and his colleagues were tasked with investigating a volleyball player’s murder.
Supporters on the page were quick to acknowledge the reunion, with one noting: “Looks like Selwyn’s volleyball friend from Death in Paradise with him.
“Mr Barrage,” another chimed in.
Kris Marshall in Death in Paradise(Image: BBC)
A different fan expressed their fondness for the actor accompanying Kris, saying, “Oh, I like the actor with him. He’s usually really posh or very bad.
“The guy with Kris was with him in DIP, too. In the volleyball episode,” pointed out another.
In other news, Colin has been bestowed with an honorary degree from Loughborough University.
The 63-year-old British thespian, scribe, and producer, famed for his portrayal of Gillian B. Loeb in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, was honoured by his alma mater for his “outstanding contributions to the arts and his role in championing men’s health issues.”
Fans can catch episodes of Death in Paradise on BBC iPlayer.
Death in Paradise will return tonight with a repeat episode of the BBC drama
Death in Paradise favourite Josephine Jobert will grace television screens once more this evening in a repeat broadcast of the beloved BBC series.
Josephine portrayed Detective Florence Cassell in the Caribbean-set police drama.
Lucky in Love, the third episode of series 10, initially transmitted in 2021, will be screened at 9pm tonight on BBC One.
The episode summary states: “It seems money doesn’t buy happiness when lottery winner Cherry is found dead at her luxurious villa, much to the horror of her husband and their visiting friends,” reports the Express.
“As usual, Neville and the team are presented with a real head-scratcher when it turns out no one was in the house at the time – and the mystery deepens when the victim’s body apparently vanishes into thin air.”
Josephine Jobert in Death in Paradise(Image: BBC)
It concludes: “Meanwhile, JP is training unruly new officer Marlon, aware that his wife Rosey is due to give birth at any time.”
This marks another recent repeat showing, following last week’s broadcast of episode two from series 10 on BBC One.
Florence Cassell won’t be the only familiar face returning to screens, as the programme’s longest-serving detective, Neville Parker (Ralf Little), also features in the episode.
Tobi Bakari returns as police officer JP Hooper, whilst Tahj Miles reprises trainee police officer Marlon Pryce.
Following the episode’s original transmission, Tobi, Tahj, Ralf, and Josephine have all departed the programme to pursue different ventures.
Ralf Little and Josephine left Death in Paradise together(Image: BBC)
Tobi became the first to exit in 2021 following the conclusion of series 10. Ralf and Josephine’s departures came in series 13 after their characters sailed off into the sunset together following Neville’s declaration of love to Florence.
Tahj Miles also departed the programme at the conclusion of series 13.
Ralf’s role was swiftly filled by the island’s fresh lead detective, Mervin Wilson, portrayed by Don Gilet.
In an earlier chat with Hello! Josephine discussed her comeback to the programme in series 10 and confessed she was aware it wouldn’t be permanent.
“I already left in series eight, I thought it would be for good, honestly, I thought, ‘I’m done,'” she revealed. “Then they asked me back for series ten as I was like, ‘Hmmm, I don’t know, okay, I’m going to do it.'”.
“But I knew it wouldn’t be forever, I knew it. How long, I didn’t know. I had an idea, but I wasn’t sure.”
From Broderick Turner: The Clippers went from “strongly, strongly considering” bringing Chris Paul back to the franchise to actually agreeing to a deal with the point guard on Monday.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media Saturday in a Zoom that Paul “obviously possesses some of the qualities we just referenced” and that led to the two sides agreeing to a veteran’s minimum deal of about $3.6 million.
“Chris is one of the most impactful players ever to wear a Clippers uniform and it’s appropriate that he returns to the team for this chapter of his career,” Frank said in a statement Monday. “Chris will help fortify our backcourt with his exceptional ballhandling, playmaking and shooting. He is joining us as a reserve point guard and is excited to fill whatever role [coach Tyronn] Lue asks him to play. He wants to be part of the group and we’re fortunate to have him back.”
Paul joined the Clippers for the 2011-12 season and was with the team until 2017 as he teamed with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to form the core of the “Lob City” teams.
“What I’d say about Chris is he’s a great player,” Frank said Saturday. “He’s a great Clipper.”
Get the latest on L.A.’s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: It was quality over quantity for the Dodgers on Monday night. A bunch of empty at-bats, salvaged by a few emphatic drives that left the ballpark.
In six innings against struggling Minnesota Twins starter David Festa, the Dodgers’ slumping offense managed only four hits — doing little to quell the offensive concerns that have mounted during a puzzling month of poor all-around production.
Three of the knocks, however, went over the fence, with a two-run blast from Shohei Ohtani in the first inning and a pair of solo homers from Will Smith in the fourth and sixth lifting the team to a 5-2 win at Dodger Stadium.
A course correction, this was not for the Dodgers’ supposed powerhouse offense.
Entering the night, the team had the third-lowest team batting average in the majors this month. As even president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged during pregame batting practice, “we’ve had more than half of our lineup really scuffle” for the last six weeks running.
Juan Soto hit a tying single in the seventh inning, Francisco Alvarez delivered a big double in his return from the minors and the New York Mets rallied past the Angels 7-5 on Monday night.
Brett Baty launched a two-run homer for the Mets, who erased an early four-run deficit to match their largest comeback victory this season. They scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error by catcher Logan O’Hoppe, and Brandon Nimmo added a sacrifice fly that made it 7-5.
Brooks Raley (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth in his second outing since coming back from Tommy John surgery, earning his first win since April 2024.
1921 — Jim Barnes wins the U.S. Men’s Open golf championship by edging Walter Hagen, Leo Diegel, Jock Hutchinson and Fred McLeod.
1962 — Gary Player of South Africa becomes the first non-resident of the United States to win the PGA championship.
1963 — Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson in 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the first round to retain the world heavyweight title. Liston took the title from Patterson with a first-round knockout in Chicago on Sept. 25, 1962.
1973 — Sue Berning wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship for the third time with a five-stroke victory over Gloria Ahret.
1984 — Kathy Whitworth becomes the all-time winner in pro golf tournaments by winning the Rochester Open. Whitworth, with 85 career wins, passes Sam Snead’s total of 84 PGA tournament victories.
1984 — Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open with a four-round 276, breaking the course record set by Ken Nagle in 1960 by two strokes. Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer finish two strokes behind.
1990 — Nick Faldo wins his second British Open crown in four years, defeating Payne Stewart and Mark McNulty by five strokes.
1996 — Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey becomes first weightlifter in Olympic history to win three gold medals. Suleymanoglu wins the 141-pound division by hoisting 413¼ pounds.
1998 — Jackie Joyner-Kersee ends her brilliant heptathlon career with a victory at the Goodwill Games. It’s her fourth consecutive Goodwill title. Earlier, the 4×400-meter relay world record of 2:54.29, set by the 1993 U.S. World Championship team, comes crashing down. Michael Johnson, the anchor on that 1993 team, anchors this United States 4×400 team, which finishes in a 2 minutes, 54.20 seconds.
2001 — David Duval shoots a 4-under 67 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to win the British Open title, his first major championship. He finishes at 10-under 274 for a three-stroke victory over Sweden’s Niclas Fasth.
2005 — Yelena Isinbayeva clears the 5-meter mark at the Crystal Palace Grand Prix in London for her latest world record. The Olympic champion easily clears 16 feet, 4¾ inches on her first attempt, barely nudging the bar.
2007 — Padraig Harrington survives a calamitous finish in regulation and a tense putt for bogey on the final hole of a playoff to win the British Open over Sergio Garcia.
2008 — Candace Parker scores 21 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones adds 19 before both are ejected after a scuffle in the final minute as the Sparks beat the Detroit Shock 84-81 at Auburn Hills, Mich. The WNBA game turns ugly in the final seconds as a collision between Parker and Detroit’s Plenette Pierson turns into a shoving match that has players and coaches from both teams leaving the bench.
2012 — Bradley Wiggins becomes the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France by protecting the yellow jersey during the final processional ride into Paris. Fellow Briton and Sky teammate Christopher Froome finishes second, 3 minutes, 21 seconds behind.
2012 — Ernie Els wins his fourth major championship in an astonishing finish, rallying to beat Adam Scott in the British Open when the Aussie bogeys the last four holes. Els, who starts the final round six shots behind, finishes off a flawless back nine with a 15-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 68. Scott was four shots ahead with four holes to play.
2018 — Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird plays in a record 500th WNBA game.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1905 — Weldon Henley of the Philadelphia Athletics pitched a no-hitter, defeating the St. Louis Browns 6-0 in the first game of a doubleheader. It was the highlight of Henley’s 4-11 season.
1906 — Bob Ewing pitched the Cincinnati Reds to a 10-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies without a single assist by teammates.
1923 — Washington’s Walter Johnson struck out opposing pitcher Stan Coveleski for his 3,000th career strikeout. The Big Train, the first player in MLB history to reach 3,000 strikeouts, struck out five and allowed one run to give the Senators a 3-1 win over Cleveland.
1926 — Cincinnati had four triples in an 11-run second inning as the Reds beat the Boston Braves, 13-1. Curt Walker hit two in the inning to tie an NL record for most triples in an inning.
1932 — Philadelphia’s Mickey Cochrane hit for the cycle and drove in four runs to lead the Athletics to an 8-4 win over the Washington Senators.
1962 — Floyd Robinson of the Chicago White Sox had six singles in six at-bats in a 7-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
1964 — Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell hit for the cycle, drove in three runs and scored four times in the Pirates’ 13-2 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals.
1967 — The Atlanta Braves used a major league record five pitchers in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitchers were Ken Johnson, Ramon Hernandez, Claude Raymond, Dick Kelley and Cecil Upshaw.
1997 — Atlanta’s Greg Maddux turned in a masterful pitching performance, using 76 pitches in a complete game 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2000 — Seattle’s 13-5 win over Texas was interrupted for 54 minutes when a rainstorm drenched fans at Safeco Field and the $517.6-million stadium’s roof wouldn’t close because of a computer problem.
2006 — Alfonso Soriano had three doubles, a triple and scored two runs to lead Washington to a 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2012 — Seth Smith hit a tying homer in the ninth inning, Coco Crisp singled home the winning run in the 12th and the surging Oakland Athletics rallied from four runs down to stun the New York Yankees 5-4 and complete a four-game sweep. The Yankees had not been swept in a four-game series since May 2003 against Toronto.
2013 — Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, was suspended for the rest of the season and the postseason, the start of sanctions involving players reportedly tied to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. The Milwaukee Brewers star accepted the 65-game ban, 15 games more than the one he avoided last year when an arbitrator overturned his positive test for elevated testosterone because the urine sample had been improperly handled.
2014 — The Minnesota Twins turn a triple play against the Yankees.
2022 — In their first game after the All-Star break, the Blue Jays set a team record for runs in a 28-5 beatdown of the Red Sox.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
He’s miles away from Albert Square and all the EastEnders drama, but Danny Dyer was still thrilled to be reunited with one of his former co-stars while filming for Mr Bigstuff.
Danny Dyer was reunited with several former EastEnders icon on the set of Mr Bigstuff – including a fan favourite
Nudity, fights and secret kisses – Danny Dyer doesn’t hold back in the second series of Mr Bigstuff. He even bumped into one of his former co-stars in EastEnders.
Danny Dyer‘s appearance in the first season has already earned him the 2025 TV Bafta for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. Now, the show returns with Danny and creator Ryan Sampson as chalk-and-cheese brothers Lee and Glen – two blokes bound by blood but tested by secrets and deep-rooted dysfunction.
The emotions may be deep, but Mr Bigstuff doesn’t forget its slapstick roots. The stunts are back, and Danny has gone full throttle. “It’s very physical. It was a whole day of me having a tear-up,” he says, “I don’t mind that stuff, but it’s getting a bit more difficult as I get older.”
One brawl sees Lee square up to members of a working men’s club – and even Ryan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Danny was very impressive, he’s like Errol Flynn when he gets going,” he says, “I’ve never seen anybody do that before. It’s really technical and knackering.”
Alongside the bruises and banter are a few familiar faces, with Taskmaster’s Fatiha El-Ghorri popping up again as Aysha, as well as EastEnders stars Alan Ford, who played Stevie Mitchell, and Linda Henry, aka Shirley Carter. “I love Linda,” says Danny, who starred as Shirley’s son Mick in the BBC soap. “I wanted more scenes with her.”
Danny Dyer is worlds away from The Queen Vic as he reprises his role in Mr Bigstuff, created by Ryan Sampson(Image: Mark Johnson)
Both actors were inspired by their own lives to nail the chaotic relationship. “They’re at each other’s throats, aren’t they?” says Ryan, 39. “I have siblings, and we sometimes tear strips off each other.”
Danny’s real-life brother Tony provided some inspiration for Glen and his character Lee. “We’re only 18 months apart but we’re so different, a little bit like Lee and Glen.
My brother hated football when he was a kid. His best friend was a girl and he loved playing with Barbies,” Danny, 47, recalls. “He was the bane of my life because being in an East London school, he was being bullied for it and I was fighting his battles a lot.
“He’s a straight man, but he wanted to play with dolls. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.” And then there were the games they played together.
“We used to play a game called Judo Mermaid. He was the mermaid so he would put my mum’s tights on his head and I was Judo. I’d turn up, a bit like Columbo, with a celery stick in my mouth, and solve crimes.”
But in Mr Bigstuff the laughs stop for Glen when his fiancée Kirsty – played by Harriet Webb – starts behaving strangely. She’s sitting on a secret that could destroy everything.
As fans will remember, Kirsty shared a stolen kiss with Lee at the end of series one. And she’s kept it to herself since. But in real life, Harriet admits she isn’t to be trusted with her own secrets.
“I’m very much an over-sharer,” she admits, “I once lied about how many sausages I’d eaten. Then immediately, after telling the lie, I revealed the truth.”
When a mystery blackmailer appears and threatens to spill the beans, silence becomes critical for her relationship with Glen. “Throughout series one, they told each other, ‘No more secrets,’” Harriet says.
The pair portray polar opposite brothers, Lee and Glen, torn apart by secrets – and Glen’s fiancee Kirsty, portrayed by Harriet Webb(Image: Sky / Mark Johnson)
“They made a pact, especially after he found out about Kirsty’s shoplifting. So to have another secret, although I’m not the only one, is a lot.”
Series two doesn’t just revolve around Kirsty’s moral dilemmas. Lee and Glen go digging into their father’s past, only for Lee to stumble on something that could shatter their sense of identity.
Not all scenes were fun for Harriet. She recalls one tough day of filming in Canvey Island, Essex. “There was one day dedicated to a scene in episode five and Ryan told me, ‘I can’t wait for this,’” Harriet says.
“And I was like, ‘It’s going to be hell, I’m going to have to be on the verge of tears for an entire day.’ That was my biggest challenge this season.”
For Ryan, the toughest scenes were the romantic ones. As a proud gay man, filming intimate moments with Harriet took some getting used to.
“I’ve written a lot of sex scenes and kissing,’” he says, “But actually doing it… There was one moment Kirsty was like, ‘I think you grab my boob now.’ That might only be the second boob I’ve grabbed.”
Still, the messy love triangle, the family drama and the emotional gut punches all come wrapped in the off-beat humour that made Mr Bigstuff a surprise hit. And its second series goes bigger and bolder.
As for a third? The cast are all on board, though Ryan says he hasn’t got it nailed down yet. “I’m waiting to see what the viewers think,” he says. “But season two ends on the biggest plot twist I could think of. That’s the jumping off point for series three. I already have a few ideas.”
Mr Bigstuff Series 2 launches on Sky and streaming service NOW on Thursday 24 July.
Linda Henry, Shaun Williamson and Rula Lenska are just some famous faces set to make a guest appearance on Sky’s Mr Bigstuff alongside Danny Dyer, Ryan Sampson and Harriet Webb
Danny Dyer and Linda Henry will both appear in the second series of Sky’s Mr Bigstuff(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
Danny Dyer’s EastEnders mother Linda Henry is joining him for the second series of Mr Bigstuff.
Soap icon Danny, Brassic favourite and series creator Ryan Sampson and Big Boys star Harriet Webb return in series two of the comedy, premiering this July on Sky and NOW.
Series one earned Danny his first-ever BAFTA TV award for his performance as Lee Campbell, the estranged brother of Glen, played by Ryan.
Set in suburban Essex, the series was a huge hit with audiences, becoming Sky Max’s highest-rated new original comedy in three years.
Series two picks up two weeks after the shock news that the brothers’ dad’s not actually dead, and Lee and Glen are handling it very differently.
Series two picks up two weeks after the shock news that the brothers’ dad’s not actually dead
But, with chaos mounting and questions piling up, the brothers unite on a mission to track him down.
Meanwhile, Kirsty’s taking charge in the bedroom and the boardroom, but one badly timed kiss – and a mysterious blackmailer -threaten to bring it all crashing down.
With secrets spilling and tempers flaring, it’s only a matter of time before the family blows up – again.
The brothers aren’t the only ones bringing chaos – first-look images tease guest stars including Danny’s former EastEnders co-star Linda as Pam.
Linda plays Pam, a no-nonsense, hands-on mechanic at the family haulage firm(Image: Sky)
Known for her portrayal of Shirley Carter in EastEnders, Linda reunites with Danny to play Pam, a no-nonsense, hands-on mechanic at the family haulage firm.
Fellow EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson, who played Barry Evans, will also make a guest appearance as an angry clown in episode five.
Guest-starring in episode two, Rula Lensk, renowned for her roles in Coronation Street and her memorable appearance on Celebrity Big Brothe, delivers high comedy as Rita, an eccentric and flirtatious woman the brothers believe is connected to their missing dad, Don Campbell.
Rula Lenska delivers high comedy as Rita(Image: Sky)
Also joining series two are Ryan’s Brassic co-stars Tom Hanson and Parth Thakerar, as well as Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street) David Mumeni (Stath Lets Flats) and Alan Ford (Snatch).
Returning cast include Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey), Fatiha El-Ghorri (Taskmaster), Victoria Alcock (Bad Girls), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders) and and Clive Russell (Ripper Street).
The new series of Mr Bigstuff starts this July on Sky and NOW
By the looks of the first trailer for “Bugonia,” Emma Stone’s latest collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos will be just as brilliantly bizarre as its predecessors.
“Bugonia,” an English-language remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy “Save the Green Planet!,” follows two conspiracy theorists who believe Stone’s high-powered chief executive character is an alien planning to destroy planet Earth — so they kidnap her.
Stone and Lanthimos have previously worked together on “The Favourite” (2018), “Poor Things” (2023) and “Kinds of Kindness” (2024). “Bugonia” marks their third consecutive film in three years.
The trailer — released Thursday by Focus Features — opens with a voiceover, a metaphor and a shot of a beehive. “The workers gather pollen for the queen,” Jesse Plemons, who worked with Lanthimos and Stone in “Kinds of Kindness,” says as the trailer cuts to Stone’s swaggering CEO.
After a quippy kidnapping montage with Plemons and Aidan Delbis’ characters set to Green Day’s “Basket Case,” Stone is shown lying unconscious in a bed. Jarring chords alternate with action-packed footage of fist fights and police chases, all framed in Lanthimos’ quintessential style.
“How can you tell she’s an alien?” Delbis asks. Plemons replies, “Well, the signs are obvious.”
The conspiracy theory — and the truth about the CEO’s extraterrestrial status — remain anything but obvious in this initial teaser; fans will have to wait for the film’s release.
“Bugonia” is set for a limited run on Oct. 24 before expanding wide Oct. 31. Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone round out the cast.
